God's Plan: What Every Christian Should Know

By Dan Malczewski

A compilation of Christian Apologetics gathered from various authors over the years that is designed to bring brand new Christians up-to-speed quickly and to stengthen the faith for all Christians. This book also introduces a model of Gods Plan for mankind. It contains answers to almost all of the arguments leveled against Christianity from science falsely so-called. Furthermore, this book provides an historical discussion of Christian prophecy from a Dispensational persepective.

Did you know that genetic anthrop-olgists have traced back our DNA to single parents; or that most of the miracles of the Old Testament probably occurred naturally such as the parting of the Red Sea; or that approximately 1,600 Bible Codes have been discovered around a single Old Testament chapter; or that it is highly probable that no human beings drowned in the Flood; or that Mount Sinai is not in the Sinai Peninsula but in Saudi Arabia and is heavily guarded; or that the speed of light may have been millions of times faster at the Creation than it is now? All of these questions, and many more, are answered in this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 17, 2010
• ISBN: 9781449703394

Dan Malczewski

A retired manager from a large telecommunications company for more than 30 years with a BS in math and an MS in computer science from Johns Hopkins University. I have been a Christian for more than 40 years and an avid reader of Christian books. I believe sincerely in Christian apologetics and wish to share the scientific truth of the Bible and Jesus’ divinity with others.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Knowledge

Because we must start somewhere, I’ve chosen to attempt to convince the Christian of the importance of knowledge to further our understanding of God’s plan for each of us. Just because we may be Christians, nowhere does the Bible require us to forego our mental faculties. God, in fact, created us with the ability to know and understand.

Knowledge is the ability to retain facts. Facts are things we realize through our five senses; they are things we know to be true. Those things that we can all see, touch, smell, taste, and feel can be labeled as facts. The sun comes up every day; bluebirds are birds that are blue; vegetables grow in soil. Of course, certain senses such as smell, taste, and feel can be disputed. These arguments, however, are more a matter of individual preferences than they are a disputation over facts. We assume that everyone who experiences the same object for sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch all experience the same thing. Just as different people who see a frilly red dress in a department store window can dispute whether they believe that the dress is beautiful, we all assume that all these people see the dress exactly the same – as a frilly red dress. Philosophical, theoretical, and hypothetical arguments are not facts; they are polemics (i.e., logical arguments). Arguments, whether logical or illogical, cannot qualify as facts because an antithetical (i.e., a directly opposite) argument can have exactly the same appeal.

Knowledge is one of many ways to convert souls to Christ. Knowledge, however, is fraught with dangers. For example, Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross is illogical to the lost world.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (1 Cor 1:18-31)

So we can see that wisdom (i.e., knowledge) is not to be relied on for our Salvation.

Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him. (1 Cor 8:1-3)

Knowledge, furthermore, provokes conceit. God hates conceit because conceit is part of human pride. Human pride, in turn, makes us believe that we’re just as smart as God or smarter than others.

Is there, then, any role for knowledge in Salvation? There must be! If God has Created everything, surely there must be some way to prove His existence. And how can we prove His existence without knowledge? How can so many professional scientists become convinced of God’s love without knowledge (Of all the professions, scientists are the most prolific at accepting a belief in the existence of God and then moving on to acceptance of Salvation in Christ. Which profession is the least likely to accept Salvation in Christ? Theologians!)? Furthermore, the Bible tells us that knowledge is invaluable for Christians.

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1Thes 5:21)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. (Hosea 4:6)

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. (Prov 2:1-9)

But knowledge and wisdom are to be handled carefully with all humility.

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (James 3:13-17)

The knowledge of the existence of God and His Gospel must move the 18 inches from our heads to our hearts. There is a general kind of knowledge of many things, and there is biblical knowledge. Biblical knowledge is saving knowledge. General knowledge makes us conceited; biblical knowledge produces humility. Proper (i.e., biblical) knowledge validates truth. The unadulterated truth leads to Christ. Christ leads us to His Gospel.

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. (Ps 14:1)

Notice that the fool says this in his heart – not his mind!

Knowledge not only can lead us to the truth (so long as we’re honest with ourselves), but it can also defend the truth of the Scriptures. Christians who study such a defense are called apologists from the Greek word apologia which means an answer or a defense. Christian apologists take their authority for their defense of Scripture from basically two passages.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1 Pet 3:15)

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 1:3)

We, as Christians, should always be ready to give an answer for our belief in Christianity to anyone who asks. We’re also required to defend our Christianity against all of the attacks leveled by unbelief.

Unfortunately, too many Christians have no idea how to explain Christianity. This is because they have become comfortable in their beliefs. While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with this, they miss out on some of the more wonderful truths of Christianity.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)

Even though we’ve used the words wisdom and knowledge somewhat interchangeably, there is a marked difference in the meanings of the words. Knowledge is the ability to retain facts. These facts could be trivial, unrelated facts. Wisdom, on the other hand, is the ability to use knowledge in a coherent, logical manner. Someone could be very knowledgeable and not wise. On the other hand, a wise person need not be knowledgeable. A wise person is always to be preferred over a knowledgeable one. Obviously, the best of both worlds would be to be both knowledgeable and wise.

From hereon, our use of the word knowledge shall be constrained to mean biblical knowledge. That is, the kind of knowledge that leads us to the truth. This is true wisdom. Biblical apologists use this kind of knowledge almost exclusively.

Too many Christians rely on faith alone. Many have never even read the whole Bible. But faith alone can be a false faith. Oftentimes when arguing with someone of a different belief, the argument always boils down to faith. But faith in what? Muslims, Hindus, Mormons, etc. also claim to have faith. Muslims will argue that they have faith in their prophet Mohammed, in their Koran, and in their god Allah. Hindus will argue similarly from their Vedas, and Mormons will argue from the Book of Mormon. But are Allah (the god of Islam), Brahmin (the Hindu god), and the Christ of Mormonism the same as the God of the Bible? Christians should know the answers to these questions. These answers involve knowledge.

Besides, God wishes us to know Him.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15)

For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. (Prov 8:35)

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. (Rom 11:33-36)

Knowledge of God’s Word can keep us from sinning against Him.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Ps 119:11)

As we gain knowledge, we also reinforce our own faith. Too often, Christians simply accept things without question. If the Bible is God’s Word, then it contains no contradictions. How, then, can the Christian resolve an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth from the Old Testament with Jesus’ command to turn the other cheek from the New Testament? Is this truly a contradiction, or can it be resolved with the proper knowledge of biblical truths?

Once again, we need knowledge in order to convert the lost. Too often, unbelievers will question our beliefs with questions that most Christians can’t answer.

Also, we need knowledge to become Christian apologists to defend our faith from the onset of attacks from the unfaithful.

This all comes down to one, searching problem. Christians, above the rest of humanity, should continually ask questions of their faith that some might think are embarrassing. For example, how could a God of love send a universal Flood to wipe out all of humanity except for Noah’s immediate family? How could He also instruct the Jews to kill all the men, women, children, and animals of certain tribes when the Jews returned to Israel from Egypt? Surely the children were innocent. These questions haunted me for the longest time until God revealed to me the answers I needed. The answer to this will be addressed later.

One interesting aspect of Christian apologetics lends itself to the tremendous increase of knowledge that we find ourselves in today. It seems that, as we get closer to our Lord’s return, God is revealing Himself to us in more and more ways. Anyone who is honest and objective enough to recognize this must realize that all of the material contained in this book cannot be mere happenstance. For example, I sincerely believe that God will allow the Ark of the Covenant, the Ark portrayed in the movie The Raiders of the Lost Ark, to be discovered. Any true, Christian apologist who can arm himself with just the material presented herein should be able to present, and defend, the truths of Christianity very ably.

Getting back to the question of my ability to recognize Jesus as Israel’s Messiah and the Son of God, I began to ponder what Jesus did to allow me, or anyone else, to recognize Him. For one thing, Jesus performed many miracles. Was this the one thing that I could count on to recognize Him? Not at all!

New Agers claim that Jesus, during the silent years not described in the Bible, went to India to study from the gurus and to Tibet to study from the monks. From these sources New Agers believe that Jesus was taught how to perform miracles. Some New Agers, who have been converted to Christianity, claim that there was, indeed, such a man who traveled to these locales as Jesus. His name was Apollonius of Tyana, Turkey. These ex-New Agers claim that Apollonius was Satan’s counterfeit Christ. He performed miracles just as Jesus had. In fact, his name is recorded in Scripture.

And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. (Rev 9:11)

This passage describes the angel of the bottomless pit in the Book of Revelation. Notice that in the Hebrew his name is Abaddon, and in the Greek his name is Apollyon. Both of these words translate into the English as Destroyer. Interestingly, this biblical name in Latin is Apollonius!

Furthermore, a Christian by the name of Tal Brooke, in his book Lord of the Air, has written about his ‘60s experiences in college and beyond. It seems that Mr. Brooke decided that he could experiment with the hallucinogen, LSD, at many times the normal dosage. He relates that this experience opened his eyes to the brightest, most beautiful colors imaginable. He also saw unicorns, satyrs, and other mythical beasts. He also claims that he saw, and experienced, god. Because of this experience, he wished to know more. So he traveled to India to become a surrogate of Sai Baba, perhaps the most powerful guru who ever lived. Sai Baba could make things materialize out of thin air, make things disappear into thin air, cure the most incurable of diseases, etc. Mr. Brooke relates that he experienced all of these miracles while entirely sober and completely free of the influence of any drugs. Eventually, Sai Baba’s behavior began to take a more sinister and evil tone that alerted Tal to his evil nature. When Mr. Brooke finally became saved, he realized that Sai Baba’s powers were vested in him demonically.

So we see that Jesus wasn’t the only one who could perform miracles. Obviously, Satan, his fallen angels, and demons could also perform miracles.

If Jesus’ miracles would not suffice to identify Him, what else could? Let’s allow the Scriptures to tell us.

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: (Isa 46:9-10)

God knows the future! He also is willing to make known His knowledge to us. This is called prophecy.

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Pet 1:16-21)

This passage comes from the Apostle Peter. He mentions that he personally witnessed God, the Father, telling all the witnesses at Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River that Jesus is His beloved Son. He also witnessed the glory of Jesus at the Transfiguration. After witnessing such powerful events, Peter tells us that prophecy is more important!

A careful investigation of Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus point to Him, and Him alone, as both Israel’s Messiah and God! We shall discuss these in more detail a little later in this book.

For those who have not received Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord, apologetics sets itself up as an arbiter of God’s Word. If it can be successfully demonstrated that facts, science, and pure logic attest to the veracity of the Bible, then the unbeliever must reject the Bible, and Jesus, at his own peril. Since some of the Word is beyond the scope of proof (e. g., the Creation), if those things that can not be shown to be true are at least probabilistically true (to a very high degree), then the reader should carefully, and objectively, consider them.

Now that we’ve covered the importance of logic, knowledge, and wisdom, it’s time to set up some checkpoints for our further study.

Hermeneutics

Biblical hermeneutics are the ground rules for studying the Bible. In order to better understand the Bible, we must set some rules of incontrovertible interpretation. The very first rule we must set is how to understand the words written. Are they figurative, typological, symbolic, allegorical, or literal? If they’re anything but literal, we at once place ourselves in the precarious position of relying on other, fallible men’s interpretations. If more than one interpretation exists, then whose interpretation is to be relied upon? At least a literal interpretation can be tested on the basis of semantics, grammar, and context. All of these tests are terribly important. Context is the most elusive of these literal tests. Too often, people recite biblical verses out of context to justify their behavior. It’s been said that a text taken out of context is a pretext.

There are other, pointed reasons why the literal text is to be preferred. For one, Jesus and the Apostles quoted from the Old Testament literally. For another, all fulfilled prophecy has been fulfilled literally. For another, God would not wish to offer His simple Plan of Salvation to mankind in a way that men could easily confuse. How then would God be able to judge us?

Another consideration must be given to the languages used in the Bible. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. These must assuredly be the languages in which the original text was inspired. This, however, presents a problem. There are hundreds of languages in the world. Unfortunately, there are many words in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that cannot be easily translated into these other languages. Allow me to cite one simple example.

And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he